Physical work capacity and biomechanical aspects as limiting factors in challenging environments

Description

Overall aim of the studies: To explore the constraints on human physical work capacity from physical, biomechanical and environmental challenges in order to minimize risks and to improve health and performance in working and daily life.

The research explores how physical work performance and health are affected by challenging situations, environmental factors, age and gender. The intention is to understand the physical limitations, and to prevent accidents and injuries in different occupational settings and in society. Specifically, energy costs, muscle fatigue, physiological demands on ascending stairs, and the thermal environmental and biomechanical factors during gait and stair climbing will be studied. The specific objectives of my research are:

•To investigate physiological limitations and to evaluate energy costs during ascending evacuation in high-rise buildings and on a stair machine.

•To compare muscle fatigue characteristics induced by different intensities of stair climbing on a stair machine in thermo-neutral and cold environments using muscle electromyography.

•To study the effects of muscle fatigue on gait biomechanics and slipping and falling risks by using muscle electromyography, along with motion and force analyses on inclined and slippery walkways.